


No Looking Back

by Jase



Category: Aaron Dingle - Fandom, Emmerdale, robert sugden - Fandom, robron
Genre: M/M, Reunions, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:35:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jase/pseuds/Jase
Summary: Quick little reunion short taking place at the club from upcoming reunion episode. Enjoy :D





	No Looking Back

 

 

* * *

 

 

His heart's racing, it's beating so fast it feels like it's about to burst through his chest. It's beating so hard he can hear it over the loud music filling the air. Aaron takes a moment to try and collect himself. Part of him still reeling from what just happened, what he just did. He never meant to hurt Alex, never meant for any of this to have gotten this far, but he'd been lying to himself. Every time he told himself he was over Robert he knew it wasn't true. How could he? How could he ever be over the other part of his soul? How could he ever be over the one person that completes him? As he stops asking himself questions he already knows the answers to he finally manages to catch his breath. He watches as Alex walks away and even though he feels guilty for leading him on the way he did he can't help but feel the weight that’s been lifted from his shoulders. He's cut him loose, the sham of a relationship is over.

  
He had been so close to ending things with him since Christmas, since that moment when he felt he was about to lose Robert for good. He recalls shouting to him, begging him not to die, telling him he wasn't ready to lose him. He still curses himself for not following through, for letting others get in his head, for trying to make everyone else but himself happy. Aaron was done.   
  
Seeing Robert give his number to some other bloke just brought it all to a boil. It was now or never. No way was he going to let some poor man's Irish version of his soul mate have a shot at him. No way was anyone else going to have a shot.  
  
Come on, Aaron. It's now or never. He thought as he steels himself. Go big or go home.  
  
As he takes in the space trying to spot Robert he notices the DJ, an old friend of his and it just hits him. He nods his head telling himself it's exactly like something Robert would do for him. Doesn't matter if he makes a fool of himself, for Robert he'd move the stars. He quickly makes his way across the crowd to the DJ who spots him and immediately greets him. "Aaron, mate!" He shouts pulling the headphones off his head. "How've ya been?"  
  
Aaron smiles back at him and shakes his hand and pulls him into a quick hug as he slaps a single hand on the guys back without breaking the shake. "Mate, I'd hate to do this, but can we maybe catch up later? I need a quick favor from you." He speaks near his ear.  
  
"For you, man, anything."  
  
____  
  
  
The night had gone better than he ever could have imagined considering it honestly was the last thing he wanted to be doing. A night out on the pull, at a guy bar no less. Fuck, how things were different. Only a year ago he wouldn't even want to talk about himself, about his sexuality, let alone be caught dead in a gay bar yet here he was. It took seeing Alex moving into the Mill for it to finally hit him that things were full and well over between him and Aaron. There was no going back. No hope. Aaron had truly moved. Alex as moving into the house he had built for his family; for Aaron, Liv, and himself and if that wasn't bad enough...he was moving in on their anniversary. It had been a year since Robert married the man of dreams, the one person who made him feel complete, and he was alone. He knew he'd never be able to move on, not really, but tonight wasn't even about that. Tonight was about trying to let go, tonight was about trying to make the pain go away.   
  
Truth be told, once Vanessa convinced him to take his own advice he had fun. Mike, the fit Irish bloke who hit on him earlier in the night gave him a second shot after Robert brushed him off. He had gone there with the intention of taking someone home, but the moment anyone showed interest in him, he brushed them off. He couldn't go through with it. As he laughed whole heartedly with Mike, it hit him. Maybe he could move on. Maybe he could at least try.   
  
After a few drinks he found himself paying full attention to every word Mike spoke, he couldn't but follow the movement of his lips as he talked about work. He didn't even hesitate when Mike took his hand and lead him towards the dance floor. Everything felt so new, so different, almost good. He still didn't hesitate when he felt the hands gripping on his hips, as he felt the hands pulling him in closer. He couldn't help but feel a flutter in his stomach as Mike pulled him in holding tight to his hips. Maybe he could do this. Maybe it was time for him to let go, time for to move on.  
  
It wasn't until he noticed Mike looking straight into his eyes that when it hit him. The eyes looking back into his were not the right color. They weren't the beautiful ocean blue eyes that occupied his dreams. "Aaron." Quietly slips out of his mouth.  
  
"What?" Mike asks.  
  
The question snapping him out of the quick daze he had fallen under, Robert shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Mike. I...I have to go."  
  
"Oh...I didn't make you feel uncomfortable, did I?" He asks confuses.  
  
"No, no, no. You didn't do anything wrong, it's just... it's me. I'm not ready for this." Robert says as he backs away from Mike. "I'm sorry."  
  
"What was that?" Vanessa quickly pulls him towards her as he walks by. "The bloke was about to kiss ya. I could see it in his face."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Robert! He was really into ya."  
  
"Doesn't matter. I'm... I'm not ready for this. I honestly don't know if I ever will, I need to go. Can you please tell Vic I left.”? He tells her fighting back tears that prickle at the back of his eyes. He can't stand this. For a brief moment he felt like things were going great and then Aaron. He'll always be there, in the back of his mind. Always there to remind him of everything he's lost. Always there to remind him of everything he'll never regain.  
  
"But, Robert." Vanessa tries to protest, there’s sympathy in her eyes, she can see how upset he is. "No." She says shaking her head. "You know what, let’s just head back to my place and have some drinks this isn't really my scene either."  
  
"You don't have to leave on my accou..." Robert's trying to tell her when he hears it, when he notices how much quieter it's gotten. "This song..." He says looking down to the floor, feeling like everything's about to spill out. He takes a deep breath and tries to hold himself together as Make You Feel My Love by Adele plays throughout the club.  
  
"Robert." The all too familiar husky voice calls out to him and as he turns Aaron nears him.  
  
"Aaron?" He replies confused. "What's this?"  
  
"You remember this song, yeah?" Aaron asks.  
  
"Do I remember this song? Really, you're asking me if I remember our wedding song?" He nearly spits back. "Just because it doesn't mean anything to you anymore doesn't mean I've forgotten it."  
  
"Robert, please. Don't be like this." Aaron replies, his eyes glistening with unshed tears like.  
  
"LIKE WHAT?" He shouts back, his aggravation getting the best of him.  
  
"Please Robert. Can we just talk." Aaron replies trying to keep his voice low. Thanks to Robert's shouting they've become the center of attention.  
  
"About what? What have I done wrong now. Do you want me to leave so you can enjoy your night out without me dragging you down."  
  
"You know that's not what I want."  
  
"THEN WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME AARON?" Robert shouts back noticing everyone staring back at them. He wipes away the tears he now feels are running down his cheeks. "You know what, don't bother." He says before turning and rushing out.  
  
Aaron quickly makes to run after him, but Vanessa steps in from of him. "What do you want from him Aaron, you need to stop messing him about. He doesn't deserve this."  
  
"I love him." Is all he can say.  
  
"Then go get him." She says smiling up at him. "Go!"  
  
He doesn't have to be told twice, Aaron is out the door in a matter of seconds. "Shit." He lets out looking around trying to spot Robert, not that the pouring rain is going to help. He can barely see anything. "Fuck it." He says before running out into the rain, nothing's going to stop him, not now. He has to get his husband back. He's completely drenched in just seconds, but it doesn’t matter because he's spotted him. He can see him in the distance and it breaks his heart to see him clutching a hand to his chest as he leans against a wall.   
  
"Robert?" Aaron calls out to him as he nears him, and he winces when he sees the pain on his face.  
  
"Just leave me alone, Aaron." Is all he says before turning and walking away.  
  
"Robert!" Aaron shouts after him. "Robert, wait!"   
  
Robert ignores him and turns trying to make his way back to his car.  
  
"MR. DINGLE!" Aaron shouts.  
  
Robert can't help but stop dead in his tracks. He wants nothing more than to run away, to avoid having his heart broken for the hundredth time, but that name. Why would he call him that? What does mean by it. He lets his head drop and shouts back to Aaron, "what, Aaron, what?"   
  
"I love you." Aaron lets out, his heart racing.  
  
"You what?" Robert questions like he heard wrong. Confused now more than ever.  
  
"I love you, Robert. I..."  
  
"No, no you don't. You love Alex."  
  
"No, I love you. It's always been you."  
  
"You moved him in to our...your house, on our anniversary, Aaron. On our anniversary!" He says through what he thinks are tears, not fully sure though as the downpour has them soaked head to toe.  
  
"I know, I...I don't know what to tell ya, Robert. I've been so stupid. I've been lying to myself for too long, been trying to make everyone happy and all I've managed to do was hurt the one person I love more than anything. I love you, Robert. I never stopped." He says as he walks up to Robert. He reaches out placing his hands on Robert's neck, his thumbs stroking at his cheeks.  
  
"But what about Alex?"  
  
"I ended things with him, not 20 minutes ago."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"If you're not the one for me...no one is."  
  
"I don't deserve ya. I never did. You need someone who'll make you happy, someone who won't hurt ya."  
  
"Robert, you deserve to be happy. You deserve so much more than you'll ever know. Why can't you see that?"  
  
"Because, Aaron, because I don't."  
  
Aaron moves in closer pressing his forehead to Robert's. "Yes, you do Robert. You have no idea just how amazing you are, how happy you make me. Before you I didn't even really know what happy was." He says brushing his thumb across Robert's lower lip. "And yeah, we've fucked up, more than once, but don't you dare take all the blame. I hurt you just as bad and I hate myself for it. I just...I'm done fighting this Robert, I'm done fighting what I've wanted all along. That night, back at Christmas, I was coming back for you. That night I chose you, Robert, I chose you. You pushed me away and I let you, I let you do it because you were breaking, and I didn't want to make things worse for you. If I had the guts, if I wasn't trying to make everyone else happy I would have told just how I felt last week. After that night, after..." He's done talking, he's done trying to explain how he feels. Aaron simply shoves Robert back against the wall he had been leaning against moments ago and takes his lips. He puts every emotion he's feeling into the kiss. It's a soft languid kiss that makes him feel like he’s floating on air. Fuck has he missed those lips. The softness to them.  
  
The kiss is everything he remembers, everything he's been dreaming of every night since they split, and it takes everything in him to push Aaron off. "I can't do this, Aaron. I'll just end up hurting ya."  
  
"You won't, Robert. I know you won't, and I promise I won't hurt you ever again." He says before closing the gap between them and kissing him again. "I love you, Robert."  
  
  
"I love you more." Robert says brushing thumb across Aaron's cheeks. "Please don't ever leave me again, I couldn't bare it."  
  
"Never again. This..." Aarons says gesturing between them. "This is for good. No more hurting each other. No more repeating the same mistakes."  
  
"Never again." Robert says before letting out a deep sigh.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Chas is going to hate me even more."  
  
Aaron can't help but laugh. "Don't worry about that, if anyone has a problem with this, they'll have to answer to me. I'm done trying to make them all happy, I've spent months in a relationship I didn't even want to try to make them happy. I'm sick of it. It's time I put me first, time I put my husband first. I promised him to be the best husband I could be, it's about time I make good on my promise."  
  
Robert can't help the wide grin spread across his face, he closes his eyes feeling the water down his face and looks up to notice the rain coming to a stop. It's almost as if even nature is cheering up. "You sure you want this?"  
  
"Of course I want this, I want this more than anything."  
  
Robert smiles back at Aaron and leans down for a kiss. It looks like this night is definitely looking up, like everything is going to be alright.   
  
"You've come back to me, let's never look back." He says as Aaron smiles at him.  
  
"No looking back."

 

 

 

 


End file.
